Steroid help please
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 10:21 am
The ongoing saga of Bobby -
Quick background recap, 15 year old male, mild CKD, always had a delicate tummy which recently took a more serious turn resulting in stopping Hills k/d first wet then dry. Attacs of The Dire Rear used to be kept in check with vitamin B injections now not responding to those any more. Also has had runny eyes and nose, sneezing and coughing for over 6 years ever since neutering and retiring to indoor home.
In May he had such a bad time he lost 10% of his body weight in 8 days and nothing seemed to be working. 3 weeks ago we gave him one last chance and he had a 2-week long acting antibiotic shot, a steroid shot, an appetite stimulant and steroid tablets. Next day he was no better but the day after he perked up, started eating and got his new lease of life. We know the steroids are just symptom management and the plan was to reduce gradually to the minimum effective dose. We kept him on the 1 a day for 2 weeks because I was still finding loose stools in the tray, then last week we cut him down to half a tablet. This was harder to give him so we switched to a whole tablet every other day.
Problem is I'm finding loose stools again and still can't be sure from which cat. Molly is a much tougher hardy little moggy who rarely gets issues and shows no other symptoms. She had radioiodine treatment in March and since last November when she was diagnosed hyperthyroid she has not produced a fully formed furball, which is strange for her, so something is amiss in her digestion. The solid stools are thick so I assume these are Bobby's as he does produce thicker ones, but the solid beginning to the loose ones is also thick, so everything in the tray looks like his and nothing looks like hers!!
As for Bobby, in the last few days his appetite has dropped again and his hip bones are sticking out more again. We are upping his steroids back to a whole tablet daily though I'm wondering if this is down to the antibiotic having now worn off, as it coincided with the end of that as well as cutting down the steroid dosage.
Any thoughts from anyone welcome, I don't really even know what I'm asking here as I need to identify whose poo is runny and give it time for the re-increased dosage of steroid to take effect, but I think I just need some fresh thoughts and sympathy! Because when the steroids stop working we're basically looking at time to say goodbye.
Yes we could have further invasive tests and treatments possibly but he is 15 and I don't feel he should be put through all that, and as the vet says whether it's IBD or bowel cancer the steroids are the treatment, and unless we're prepared to put him through cancer treatment, which we're not at his age and health level, there is little point in knowing which it is. He is a very finicky eater and already has Hills i/d to support his digestion. The vet also suspects hyperthyroidism as he has enlarged glands, too many different issues with contrindicated treatments.
Quick background recap, 15 year old male, mild CKD, always had a delicate tummy which recently took a more serious turn resulting in stopping Hills k/d first wet then dry. Attacs of The Dire Rear used to be kept in check with vitamin B injections now not responding to those any more. Also has had runny eyes and nose, sneezing and coughing for over 6 years ever since neutering and retiring to indoor home.
In May he had such a bad time he lost 10% of his body weight in 8 days and nothing seemed to be working. 3 weeks ago we gave him one last chance and he had a 2-week long acting antibiotic shot, a steroid shot, an appetite stimulant and steroid tablets. Next day he was no better but the day after he perked up, started eating and got his new lease of life. We know the steroids are just symptom management and the plan was to reduce gradually to the minimum effective dose. We kept him on the 1 a day for 2 weeks because I was still finding loose stools in the tray, then last week we cut him down to half a tablet. This was harder to give him so we switched to a whole tablet every other day.
Problem is I'm finding loose stools again and still can't be sure from which cat. Molly is a much tougher hardy little moggy who rarely gets issues and shows no other symptoms. She had radioiodine treatment in March and since last November when she was diagnosed hyperthyroid she has not produced a fully formed furball, which is strange for her, so something is amiss in her digestion. The solid stools are thick so I assume these are Bobby's as he does produce thicker ones, but the solid beginning to the loose ones is also thick, so everything in the tray looks like his and nothing looks like hers!!
As for Bobby, in the last few days his appetite has dropped again and his hip bones are sticking out more again. We are upping his steroids back to a whole tablet daily though I'm wondering if this is down to the antibiotic having now worn off, as it coincided with the end of that as well as cutting down the steroid dosage.
Any thoughts from anyone welcome, I don't really even know what I'm asking here as I need to identify whose poo is runny and give it time for the re-increased dosage of steroid to take effect, but I think I just need some fresh thoughts and sympathy! Because when the steroids stop working we're basically looking at time to say goodbye.
Yes we could have further invasive tests and treatments possibly but he is 15 and I don't feel he should be put through all that, and as the vet says whether it's IBD or bowel cancer the steroids are the treatment, and unless we're prepared to put him through cancer treatment, which we're not at his age and health level, there is little point in knowing which it is. He is a very finicky eater and already has Hills i/d to support his digestion. The vet also suspects hyperthyroidism as he has enlarged glands, too many different issues with contrindicated treatments.